arXiv subjects

Jianpeng Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Jianpeng Liu.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Constructing the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state in antiferromagnetic insulator CrOCl

Time reversal symmetry breaking in superconductors, resulting from external magnetic fields or spontaneous magnetization, often leads to unconventional superconducting properties. In this way, a conventional Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state, characterized by the Cooper pairs with nonzero total momentum, may be realized by the Zeeman effect caused from external magnetic fields. Here, we report the observation of superconductivity in a few-layer antiferromagnetic insulator CrOCl by utilizing superconducting proximity effect with NbSe2 flakes. The superconductivity demonstrates a considerably weak gap of about 0.12 meV and the in-plane upper critical field reveals as behavior of the FFLO state at low temperature. Our first-principles calculations indicate that the proximitized superconductivity may exist in the CrOCl layer with Cr vacancies or line-defects. Moreover, the FFLO state could be induced by the inherent larger spin splitting in the CrOCl layer. Our findings not only demonstrate the fascinating interaction between superconductivity and magnetism, but also provide a possible path to construct FFLO state by intrinsic time reversal symmetry breaking and superconducting proximity effect.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Magic momenta and three dimensional Landau levels from a three dimensional graphite moiré superlattice

Twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) and other quasi-two-dimensional moiré superlattices have attracted significant attention due to the emergence of various correlated and topological states associated with the flat bands in these systems. In this work, we theoretically explore the physical properties of a new type of \textit{three dimensional graphite moiré superlattice}, the bulk alternating twisted graphite (ATG) system with homogeneous twist angle, which is grown by in situ chemical vapor decomposition method. Compared to TBG, the bulk ATG system is bestowed with an additional wavevector degrees of freedom due to the extra dimensionality. As a result, we find that when the twist angle of bulk ATG is smaller than twice of the magic angle of TBG, there always exist ``magic momenta" at which the in-plane Fermi velocities of the moiré bands vanish. Moreover, topologically distinct flat bands of TBG at different magic angles can even co-exist at different out-of-plane wavevectors in a single bulk ATG system. Most saliently, when the twist angle is relatively large, exactly dispersionless three dimensional zeroth Landau level would emerge in the bulk ATG, which may give rise to robust three dimensional quantum Hall effects over a large range of twist angles.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Synergistic correlated states and nontrivial topology in coupled graphene-insulator heterostructures

In this work, we study the synergistic correlated states in two distinct types of interacting electronic systems coupled by interlayer Coulomb interactions. We propose that this scenario can be realized in a type of Coulomb-coupled graphene-insulator heterostructures with gate tunable band alignment. We find that, by virtue of the interlayer Coulomb coupling between the interacting electrons in the two layers, electronic states that cannot be revealed in either individual layer would emerge in a cooperative and synergistic manner. Specifically, as a result of the band alignment, charge carriers can be transferred between graphene and the substrate under the control of gate voltages, which can yield a long-wavelength electronic crystal at the surface of the substrate. This electronic crystal exerts a superlattice Coulomb potential on the Dirac electrons in graphene, which generates subbands with reduced non-interacting Fermi velocity. As a result, $e$-$e$ Coulomb interactions within graphene would play a more important role, giving rise to a gapped Dirac state at the charge neutrality point, accompanied by interaction-enhanced Fermi velocity. Moreover, the superlattice potential can give rise to topologically nontrivial subband structures which are tunable by superlattice's constant and anisotropy. Reciprocally, the electronic crystal formed in the substrate can be substantially stabilized in such coupled bilayer heterostructure by virtue of the cooperative interlayer Coulomb coupling. We further perform high-throughput first principles calculations to identify a number of promising insulating materials as candidate substrates for graphene to demonstrate these effects.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Enhanced Population on Ionic Excited States by Synchronized Ionization and Multiphoton Resonance

We study population distributions and lasing actions of N_2^+ driven by femtosecond lasers with various wavelengths, and uncover an efficient ionic excitation mechanism induced by synchronized ionization and multiphoton resonance. Our results show that the strongest N_2^+ lasing appears around 1000 nm pump wavelength. At the optimal wavelength, the pump-energy threshold for air lasing generation is reduced by five folds compared with that required by the previous 800 nm pump laser. Simulations based on the ionization-coupling model indicate that although the Stark-assisted three-photon resonance can be satisfied within a broad pump wavelength range, the optimal pump wavelength arises when the dynamic three-photon resonance temporally synchronizes with the ionization injection. In this case, the ionic dipoles created at each half optical cycle have the same phase. The dipole phase locking promotes the continuous population transfer from ionic ground state to the excited state, giving rise to a dramatic increase of excited-state population. This work provides new insight on the photoexcitation mechanism of ions in strong laser fields, and opens up a route for optimizing ionic radiations.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2023

Observation of first-order quantum phase transitions and ferromagnetism in twisted double bilayer graphene

Twisted graphene multilayers are highly tunable flatband systems for developing new phases of matter. Thus far, while orbital ferromagnetism has been observed in valley polarized phases, the long-range orders of other correlated phases as well as the quantum phase transitions between different orders mostly remain unknown. Here, we report an observation of Coulomb interaction driven first-order quantum phase transitions and ferromagnetism in twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG). At zero magnetic field, the transitions are revealed in a series of step-like abrupt resistance jumps with prominent hysteresis loop when either the displacement field (D) or the carrier density (n) is tuned across symmetry-breaking boundary near half filling, indicating a formation of ordered domains. It is worth noting that the good turnability and switching of these states gives a rise to a memory performance with a large on/off ratio. Moreover, when both spin and valley play the roles at finite magnetic field, we observe abundant first-order quantum phase transitions among normal metallic states from charge neutral point, orbital ferromagnetic states from quarter filling, and spin-polarized states from half filling. We interpret these first-order phase transitions in the picture of phase separations and spin domain percolations driven by multi-field tunable Coulomb interactions, in agreement with Lifshitz transition from Hartree-Fock calculations. The observed multi-filed tunable domain structure and its hysteresis resembles the characteristics of multiferroics, revealing intriguing magnetoelectric properties. Our result enriches the correlated phase diagram in TDBG for discovering novel exotic phases and quantum phase transitions, and it would benefit other twisted moiré systems as well.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Observation of electronic nematicity driven by three-dimensional charge density wave in kagome lattice KV$_3$Sb$_5$

Kagome superconductors AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A = K, Rb, Cs) provide a fertile playground for studying intriguing phenomena, including non-trivial band topology, superconductivity, giant anomalous Hall effect and charge density wave (CDW). Recently, a $C_2$ symmetric nematic phase prior to the superconducting state in AV$_3$Sb$_5$ drew enormous attention due to its potential inheritance of the symmetry of the unusual superconductivity. However, direct evidence on the rotation symmetry breaking of the electronic structure in the CDW state from the reciprocal space is still rare, and the underlying mechanism remains ambiguous. The observation shows unconventional unidirectionality, indicative of rotation symmetry breaking from six-fold to two-fold. The interlayer coupling between adjacent planes with $π$-phase offset in the 2$\times$2$\times$2 CDW phase leads to the preferred two-fold symmetric electronic structure. These rarely observed unidirectional back-folded bands in KV$_3$Sb$_5$ may provide important insights into its peculiar charge order and superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Lattice distortions, moiré phonons, and relaxed electronic band structures in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene

In this work, we present a theoretical research on the lattice relaxations, phonon properties, and relaxed electronic structures in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (TBG). We construct a continuum elastic model in order to study the lattice dynamics of magic-angle TBG, where both in-plane and out-of-plane lattice displacements are take into account. The fully relaxed lattice structure calculated using such a model is in quantitative agreement with experimental measurements. Furthermore, we investigate the phonon properties in magic-angle TBG using the continuum elastic model, where both the in-plane and out-of-plane phonon modes are included and treated on equal footing. We identify different types of moiré phonons including in-plane sliding modes, soft out-of-plane flexural modes, as well as out-of-plane breathing modes. The latter two types of phonon modes exhibit interesting monopolar, dipolar, quadrupolar, and octupolar-type out-of-plane vibration patterns. Additionally, we explore the impact of the relaxed moiré superlattice structure on the electronic band structures of magic-angle TBG using an effective continuum model, which shows nearly exact agreement with those calculated using a microscopic atomistic tight-binding approach. Our work lays foundation for further studies on the electron-phonon coupling effects and their interplay with $e$-$e$ interactions in magic-angle TBG.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Quantum oscillations in field-induced correlated insulators of a moiré superlattice

We report an observation of quantum oscillations (QOs) in the correlated insulators with valley anisotropy of twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG). The anomalous QOs are best captured in the magneto resistivity oscillations of the insulators at v = -2, with a period of 1/B and an oscillation amplitude as high as 150 kΩ. The QOs can survive up to ~10 K, and above 12 K, the insulating behaviors are dominant. The QOs of the insulator are strongly D dependent: the carrier density extracted from the 1/B periodicity decreases almost linearly with D from -0.7 to -1.1 V/nm, suggesting a reduced Fermi surface; the effective mass from Lifshitz-Kosevich analysis depends nonlinearly on D, reaching a minimal value of 0.1 me at D = ~ -1.0 V/nm. Similar observations of QOs are also found at v = 2, as well as in other devices without graphite gate. We interpret the D sensitive QOs of the correlated insulators in the picture of band inversion. By reconstructing an inverted band model with the measured effective mass and Fermi surface, the density of state at the gap, calculated from thermal broadened Landau levels, agrees qualitatively with the observed QOs in the insulators. While more theoretical understandings are needed in the future to fully account for the anomalous QOs in this moiré system, our study suggests that TDBG is an excellent platform to discover exotic phases where correlation and topology are at play.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Theory for charge density wave and orbital-flux state in antiferromagnetic kagome metal FeGe

In this work, we theoretically study the charge order and orbital magnetic properties of a new type of antiferromagnetic kagome metal FeGe. Based on first principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we have studied the electronic structures, Fermi-surface quantum fluctuations, as well as phonon properties of the antiferromagnetic kagome metal FeGe. We find that charge density wave emerges in such a system due to a subtle cooperation between electron-electron ($e$-$e$) interactions and electron-phonon couplings, which gives rise to an unusual scenario of interaction-triggered phonon instabilities, and eventually yields a charge density wave (CDW) state. We further show that, in the CDW phase, the ground-state current density distribution exhibits an intriguing star-of-David pattern, leading to flux density modulation. The orbital fluxes (or current loops) in this system emerges as a result of the subtle interplay between magnetism, lattice geometries, charge order, and spin-orbit coupling (SOC), which can be described by a simple, yet universal, tight-binding theory including a Kane-Mele type SOC term and a magnetic exchange interaction. We further study the origin of the peculiar step-edge states in FeGe, which shed light on the topological properties and correlation effects in this new type of kagome antiferromagnetic material.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Effective manipulation and realization of a colossal nonlinear Hall effect in an electric-field tunable moiré system

The second-order nonlinear Hall effect illuminates a frequency-doubling transverse current emerging in quantum materials with broken inversion symmetry even when time-reversal symmetry is preserved. This nonlinear response originates from both the Berry curvature dipole and the chiral Bloch electron skew scatterings, reflecting various information of the lattice symmetries, band dispersions, and topology of the electron wavefunctions. Even though many efforts have been put in detecting the nonlinear Hall effect in diverse condensed matter systems, effective manipulation of the two principal mechanisms in a single system has been lacking, and the reported response is relatively weak. Here, we report effective manipulation of the nonlinear Hall effect and realization of a colossal second-order Hall conductivity, $\sim500 μmSV^{-1}$, orders of magnitudes higher than the reported values, in AB-BA stacked twisted double bilayer graphene. A Berry-curvature-dipole-dominated nonlinear Hall effect, as well as its controllable transition to skew-scattering-dominated response, is identified near the band edge. The colossal response, on the other hand, is detected near the van Hove singularities, mainly determined by the skew scattering of the chiral Bloch electrons. Our findings establish electrically tunable moiré systems promising for nonlinear Hall effect manipulations and applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Imaging real-space flat band localization in kagome magnet FeSn

Kagome lattices host flat bands due to their frustrated lattice geometry, which leads to destructive quantum interference of electron wave functions. Here, we report imaging of the kagome flat band localization in real-space using scanning tunneling microscopy. We identify both the Fe3Sn kagome lattice layer and the Sn2 honeycomb layer with atomic resolution in kagome antiferromagnet FeSn. On the Fe3Sn lattice, at the flat band energy determined by the angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy, tunneling spectroscopy detects an unusual state localized uniquely at the Fe kagome lattice network. We further show that the vectorial in-plane magnetic field manipulates the spatial anisotropy of the localization state within each kagome unit cell. Our results are consistent with the real-space flat band localization in the magnetic kagome lattice. We further discuss the magnetic tuning of flat band localization under the spin-orbit coupled magnetic kagome lattice model.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Magnetic domain structure and domain wall bound states of topological semimetal EuB6

Electrically manipulating domain wall (DW) is at central in the field of spintronics. Magnetic Weyl semimetal (WSM) offers an additional knob for electric manipulation of DW by utilizing the topological DW bound states. Using magnetic WSM material EuB6 as a prototype system, we investigate its DW bound states combining first principles calculations and domain imaging via magnetic force microscopy (MFM). The MFM measurements reveal that domains with magnetization aligned along three [100] directions dominate over others under a small magnetic field along [001] direction. Accordingly, first principles calculations are performed based on experimentally determined DW type, which show a robust DW bound state featuring a spectral distribution over a large portion of the DW Brillouin zone. Such DW bound states should result in significant amount of localized charges which can be used to drive DW motion via the electrostatic forces exerted on the localized DW charges.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Flat bands, non-trivial band topology and electronic nematicity in layered kagome-lattice RbTi$_3$Bi$_5$

Layered kagome-lattice materials with 3$d$ transition metals provide a fertile playground for studies on geometry frustration, band topology and other novel ordered states. A representative class of materials AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A=K, Rb, Cs) have been proved to possess various unconventional phases such as superconductivity, non-trivial $\mathbb{Z}_2$ band topology, and electronic nematicity, which are intertwined with multiple interlaced charge density waves (CDW). However, the interplay among these novel states and their mechanisms are still elusive. Recently, the discovery of isostructural titanium-based single-crystals ATi$_3$Bi$_5$ (A=K, Rb, Cs), which demonstrate similar multiple exotic states but in the absence of the concomitant intertwined CDW, has been offering an ideal opportunity to disentangle these complex novel states in kagome-lattice. Here, we combine the high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and first-principles calculations to systematically investigate the low-lying electronic structure of RbTi$_3$Bi$_5$. For the first time, we experimentally demonstrate the coexistence of flat bands and multiple non-trivial topological states, including type-II Dirac nodal lines and non-trivial $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological surface states therein. Furthermore, our findings as well provide the hint of rotation symmetry breaking in RbTi$_3$Bi$_5$, suggesting the directionality of the electronic structure and possibility of emerging pure electronic nematicity in this new family of kagome compounds, which may provide important insights into the electronic nematic phase in correlated kagome metals.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Electronic Origin of Half-metal to Semiconductor Transition and Colossal Magnetoresistance in Spinel HgCr2Se4

Half-metals are ferromagnets hosting spin-polarized conducting carriers and crucial for spintronics applications. The chromium spinel HgCr2Se4 represents a unique type of half-metal, which features a half-metal to semiconductor transition (HMST) and exhibits colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) across the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic (FM-PM) transition. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we find that the Fermi surface of n-type HgCr2Se4 (n-HgCr2Se4) consists of a single electron pocket which moves above the Fermi level (EF) upon the FM-PM transition, leading to the HMST. Such a Lifshitz transition manifests a giant band splitting which originates from the exchange interaction unveiled with a specific chemical nonstoichiometry. The exchange band splitting and the chemical nonstoichiometry are two key ingredients to the HMST and CMR, consistent with our ab-initio calculation. Our findings provide spectroscopic evidences of the electronic origin of the anomalous properties of HgCr2Se4, which address the unique phase transition in half-metals.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Nonreciprocal Charge Transport in Topological Kagome Superconductor CsV$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$

Nonreciprocal charge transport phenomena are widely studied in two-dimensional superconductors, which demonstrate unidirectional-anisotropy magnetoresistances as a result of symmetry breaking. Here, we report a strong nonreciprocal transport phenomenon in superconducting CsV$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$ thin flakes. The second harmonic voltages, mainly originating from the rectification effect of vortex motion, are unambiguously developed with in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic fields, and their magnitudes are comparable to those in noncentrosymmetric superconductors. The second harmonic magnetoresistances split into several peaks and some of them reverse their signs by ramping the magnetic field or the current within the superconducting transition. The nonreciprocity suggests a strong asymmetry in CsV$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$. The centrosymmetric structure and symmetric electronic phases in CsV$_{3}$Sb$_{5}$ can hardly induce the distinct nonreciprocal transport phenomenon, which could be correlated to a symmetry breaking from an unconventional superconducting order parameter symmetry.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Quantum Hall phase in graphene engineered by interfacial charge coupling

Quantum Hall effect (QHE), the ground to construct modern conceptual electronic systems with emerging physics, is often much influenced by the interplay between the host two-dimensional electron gases and the substrate, sometimes predicted to exhibit exotic topological states. Yet the understanding of the underlying physics and the controllable engineering of this paradigm of interaction remain challenging. Here we demonstrate the observation of an unusual QHE, which differs markedly from the known picture, in graphene samples in contact with an anti-ferromagnetic insulator CrOCl equipped with dual gates. Owing to the peculiar interfacial coupling, Landau levels in monolayer graphene remain intact at negative filling fractions, but largely deviated for the positive gate-doping range. The latter QHE phase even presents in the limit of zero magnetic field, with the consequential Landau quantization following a parabolic relation between the displacement field $D$ and the magnetic field $B$. This characteristic prevails up to 100 K in a sufficiently wide effective doping range from 0 to 10$^{13}$ cm$^{-2}$. Our findings thus open up new routes for manipulating the quantum electronic states, which may find applications in such as quantum metrology.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Tunable quantum criticalities in an isospin extended Hubbard model simulator

Studying strong electron correlations has been an essential driving force for pushing the frontiers of condensed matter physics. In particular, in the vicinity of correlation-driven quantum phase transitions (QPTs), quantum critical fluctuations of multiple degrees of freedom facilitate exotic many-body states and quantum critical behaviors beyond Landau's framework. Recently, moiré heterostructures of van der Waals materials have been demonstrated as a highly tunable quantum platform for exploring fascinating strongly correlated quantum physics. Here, we report the observation of tunable quantum criticalities in an experimental simulator of extended Hubbard model with spin-valley isospins arising in chiral-stacked twisted double bilayer graphene. Scaling analysis shows a quantum two-stage criticality manifesting two distinct quantum critical points as the generalized Wigner crystal transits to a Fermi liquid by varying the displacement field, suggesting the emergence of a critical intermediate phase. The quantum two-stage criticality evolves into a quantum pseudo criticality as a high parallel magnetic field is applied. In such pseudo criticality, we find that the quantum critical scaling is only valid above a critical temperature, indicating a weak first-order QPT therein. Our results demonstrate a highly tunable solid-state simulator with intricate interplay of multiple degrees of freedom for exploring exotic quantum critical states and behaviors.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Observation of Coexisting Dirac Bands and Moiré Flat Bands in Magic-Angle Twisted Trilayer Graphene

Moiré superlattices that consist of two or more layers of two-dimensional materials stacked together with a small twist angle have emerged as a tunable platform to realize various correlated and topological phases, such as Mott insulators, unconventional uperconductivity and quantum anomalous Hall effect. Recently, the magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene (MATTG) has shown both robust superconductivity similar to magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) and other unique properties, including the Pauli-limit violating and re-entrant superconductivity. These rich properties are deeply rooted in its electronic structure under the influence of distinct moiré potential and mirror symmetry. Here, combining nanometer-scale spatially resolved angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (nano-ARPES) and scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS), we systematically measure the yet unexplored band structure of MATTG near charge neutrality. Our measurements reveal the coexistence of the distinct dispersive Dirac band with the emergent moiré flat band, showing nice agreement with the theoretical calculations. These results serve as a stepstone for further understanding of the unconventional superconductivity in MATTG.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗